Radio cutting from left to right
02-12-12, 01:07 PM
#1
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Radio cutting from left to right
WELCOME TO MY DAMN NIGHTMARE
Black 03 sc430 104.000 odo Bought used. When i bought the car the 6x9's in the door were aftermarket and were bad. MlL Speakers in the back were acting up also but played. I replaced the 6x9's with Mark Levi's and would still cut in and out. So i looked on here and discoverd it was the amp so i bought one from ebay it came from an 02 sc430. One month later that amp went bad i guess because the problem happened again.
So i learned that amps that came from earlier sc430 models were bad so i ordered another mark levi amp this time from a 2006 model. IT WORKED GREAT THEN ONE MONTH LATER SAME PROBLEM. Let me note that through out the whole time i had the car the stock radio would cut out when you turned the volume all the way up
I dont know why?? i figured it was to protect the speakers a defense system. Now im learning maybe that it is a fault. Im leaning towards thinking its the radio but cant pin point it. It cant be the amp i mean this is the third freaken one i bought!
Also i once or twice a year the radio wont read cds it just says error3 and (it doesnt matter what type of cd) and a couple times it played but no volume . PLEASE SOMEONE HELP IM GETTING
SO FRUSTRATED , CAN SOMEOME TELL ME ITS THE RADIO!!!??????
Black 03 sc430 104.000 odo Bought used. When i bought the car the 6x9's in the door were aftermarket and were bad. MlL Speakers in the back were acting up also but played. I replaced the 6x9's with Mark Levi's and would still cut in and out. So i looked on here and discoverd it was the amp so i bought one from ebay it came from an 02 sc430. One month later that amp went bad i guess because the problem happened again.
So i learned that amps that came from earlier sc430 models were bad so i ordered another mark levi amp this time from a 2006 model. IT WORKED GREAT THEN ONE MONTH LATER SAME PROBLEM. Let me note that through out the whole time i had the car the stock radio would cut out when you turned the volume all the way up
I dont know why?? i figured it was to protect the speakers a defense system. Now im learning maybe that it is a fault. Im leaning towards thinking its the radio but cant pin point it. It cant be the amp i mean this is the third freaken one i bought!
Also i once or twice a year the radio wont read cds it just says error3 and (it doesnt matter what type of cd) and a couple times it played but no volume . PLEASE SOMEONE HELP IM GETTING
SO FRUSTRATED , CAN SOMEOME TELL ME ITS THE RADIO!!!??????
02-12-12, 06:26 PM
#2
..if you've changed out the amp,it might be the radio or possibly a bad connection/wiring. You did mention that the speakers were replaced,maybe a wire is touching something to ground it out,which could make the radio cut out and possibly short out the amp. I might check the wiring of the speakers first,because they have a direct connection to the amp & this could be the culprit.I've changed all my speakers inside(Boston Acoustic 6x9 & 4in) and still using factory amp and radio,without a problem. I don't consider myself an expert or professional,but have wired many stereos from stock to 5000 watts. I would concentrate in the wiring first(cheapeast also) & then maybe the radio(maybe able to find one on ebay for cheap). Depending on how much you've spent already,might be easier/cheaper to gut it and start over...hope this helps some
02-13-12, 07:33 AM
#3
+1 on wiring.
Three amps blown with a symptom of sound cutting out. Odds are miniscule that you had three bad power amps - you've got a short somewhere. My first guess also is a speaker wire. Audio power amps have a circuit breaker or fuse to protect from dead shorts on the output side (that short means a 0 ohm load instead of the 8 ohms of the speaker, so without protection you've got a powerful amp pouring current into that wire until something burns or melts - usually the output circuitry on the board), but sometimes the fuses or thermal protection is internal and you have to go inside the unit to find it. Those previous units may not have died, per se, if they were fused. But I'm guessing, since I haven't seen a schematic of this system. I'd be amazed if there wasn't an internal fuse or breaker (maybe thermal) since the ML system is pretty high end in the world of stock auto audio systems (despite the trashing on this board). The symptom of cutting out at higher volume may indicate that the tuner/pre-amp is at fault, but power amps don't blow because of shorted inputs - it's always on the output side - look at the power amp outputs - that is, the wiring. Given the time/money you have in it already, I certainly wouldn't toss in another power amp without finding that short. If the output wiring checks out then I might consider a used head unit and power-amp instead of simply another power amp, but I really doubt that the head/pre-amp are the culprits.
Three amps blown with a symptom of sound cutting out. Odds are miniscule that you had three bad power amps - you've got a short somewhere. My first guess also is a speaker wire. Audio power amps have a circuit breaker or fuse to protect from dead shorts on the output side (that short means a 0 ohm load instead of the 8 ohms of the speaker, so without protection you've got a powerful amp pouring current into that wire until something burns or melts - usually the output circuitry on the board), but sometimes the fuses or thermal protection is internal and you have to go inside the unit to find it. Those previous units may not have died, per se, if they were fused. But I'm guessing, since I haven't seen a schematic of this system. I'd be amazed if there wasn't an internal fuse or breaker (maybe thermal) since the ML system is pretty high end in the world of stock auto audio systems (despite the trashing on this board). The symptom of cutting out at higher volume may indicate that the tuner/pre-amp is at fault, but power amps don't blow because of shorted inputs - it's always on the output side - look at the power amp outputs - that is, the wiring. Given the time/money you have in it already, I certainly wouldn't toss in another power amp without finding that short. If the output wiring checks out then I might consider a used head unit and power-amp instead of simply another power amp, but I really doubt that the head/pre-amp are the culprits.
Last edited by kjcole; 02-13-12 at 07:59 AM.
02-13-12, 09:17 AM
#4
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+1 on wiring.
Three amps blown with a symptom of sound cutting out. Odds are miniscule that you had three bad power amps - you've got a short somewhere. My first guess also is a speaker wire. Audio power amps have a circuit breaker or fuse to protect from dead shorts on the output side (that short means a 0 ohm load instead of the 8 ohms of the speaker, so without protection you've got a powerful amp pouring current into that wire until something burns or melts - usually the output circuitry on the board), but sometimes the fuses or thermal protection is internal and you have to go inside the unit to find it. Those previous units may not have died, per se, if they were fused. But I'm guessing, since I haven't seen a schematic of this system. I'd be amazed if there wasn't an internal fuse or breaker (maybe thermal) since the ML system is pretty high end in the world of stock auto audio systems (despite the trashing on this board). The symptom of cutting out at higher volume may indicate that the tuner/pre-amp is at fault, but power amps don't blow because of shorted inputs - it's always on the output side - look at the power amp outputs - that is, the wiring. Given the time/money you have in it already, I certainly wouldn't toss in another power amp without finding that short. If the output wiring checks out then I might consider a used head unit and power-amp instead of simply another power amp, but I really doubt that the head/pre-amp are the culprits.
Three amps blown with a symptom of sound cutting out. Odds are miniscule that you had three bad power amps - you've got a short somewhere. My first guess also is a speaker wire. Audio power amps have a circuit breaker or fuse to protect from dead shorts on the output side (that short means a 0 ohm load instead of the 8 ohms of the speaker, so without protection you've got a powerful amp pouring current into that wire until something burns or melts - usually the output circuitry on the board), but sometimes the fuses or thermal protection is internal and you have to go inside the unit to find it. Those previous units may not have died, per se, if they were fused. But I'm guessing, since I haven't seen a schematic of this system. I'd be amazed if there wasn't an internal fuse or breaker (maybe thermal) since the ML system is pretty high end in the world of stock auto audio systems (despite the trashing on this board). The symptom of cutting out at higher volume may indicate that the tuner/pre-amp is at fault, but power amps don't blow because of shorted inputs - it's always on the output side - look at the power amp outputs - that is, the wiring. Given the time/money you have in it already, I certainly wouldn't toss in another power amp without finding that short. If the output wiring checks out then I might consider a used head unit and power-amp instead of simply another power amp, but I really doubt that the head/pre-amp are the culprits.
02-13-12, 10:09 AM
#5
You could develop a short anywhere beginning from the final output amplifier to the speakers. Unfortunately, finding intermittent shorts in car wiring can be difficult because the wiring is hard to access, and meters won't help until the wire is actually grounded. As for why it took so long - that's anybody's guess. It may be that the short only shows itself with a hard bump or twisting of the body, etc. No doubt, these cases are frustrating.
02-13-12, 10:38 AM
#6
CDs: are u trying to play home brewed CDs or store bought? If this is happening with multiple store bought CDs, maybe it’s the player. Try cleaning the CD and re-loading it.
02-13-12, 10:07 PM
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you could develop a short anywhere beginning from the final output amplifier to the speakers. Unfortunately, finding intermittent shorts in car wiring can be difficult because the wiring is hard to access, and meters won't help until the wire is actually grounded. As for why it took so long - that's anybody's guess. It may be that the short only shows itself with a hard bump or twisting of the body, etc. No doubt, these cases are frustrating.
I'm not sure if this is the root of the problem but why else would the head unit do that if it wasnt broken.
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02-13-12, 10:10 PM
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What if i just put in an aftermarket radio would this work? Could install one and have it run of the stock ML amp so i can still keep my Navigation. I mean there must be a way , some adapter or something peaople have done it before.
02-14-12, 08:23 AM
#11
02-14-12, 08:42 AM
#12
Yes, that sounds like an issue at the head unit. Does tapping cut in and out the RADIO signal only, or CD as well? Does the sound drop out totally or only one side? This or may or may not be related to fact that you are burning up power amps (still doubtful about that). Might be two separate things going on. If it were me (and I tend to go all-in when this stuff happens to me) I'd yank out the head unit and power amp and diagnose on the bench (or give it to a pro to do same), and then decide based on the diagnosis. I'm not sure what the options (beyond fixing or replacing with stock) given the need to integrate nav voice through the sound system.
Last edited by kjcole; 02-14-12 at 08:47 AM.
02-14-12, 09:23 AM
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Yes, that sounds like an issue at the head unit. Does tapping cut in and out the RADIO signal only, or CD as well? Does the sound drop out totally or only one side? This or may or may not be related to fact that you are burning up power amps (still doubtful about that). Might be two separate things going on. If it were me (and I tend to go all-in when this stuff happens to me) I'd yank out the head unit and power amp and diagnose on the bench (or give it to a pro to do same), and then decide based on the diagnosis. I'm not sure what the options (beyond fixing or replacing with stock) given the need to integrate nav voice through the sound system.
02-14-12, 09:49 AM
#15
If you are still getting good sound out of all the speakers some of the time then the power amp is OK and you should be looking at the head unit. (based on the fact that tapping the head unit causes the cutting out). Start with the easy -- the connections from the head unit to the power amp, as well as the antenna connection.
No dealer! Gotta find an audio place with a tech who knows more than just plug-and-play. Someone who can read a schematic and can use test equipment.
In your first post you said 'the amp went bad' (X3 now). What exactly was the symptom of the amp 'going bad' (no sound? sound cutting in/out? smoke and smell?). If cutting in/out maybe the problem has been the head unit all along???
No dealer! Gotta find an audio place with a tech who knows more than just plug-and-play. Someone who can read a schematic and can use test equipment.
In your first post you said 'the amp went bad' (X3 now). What exactly was the symptom of the amp 'going bad' (no sound? sound cutting in/out? smoke and smell?). If cutting in/out maybe the problem has been the head unit all along???
Last edited by kjcole; 02-14-12 at 09:52 AM.